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G.J.APPLBT0N.

KNIT FABRIC. v

' 17757107749. vPatented sept 27, 1870.

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` 4 Sheets-Sheet 2. C. ,JAPPLETON KNITPABRIG.

7' 170. 107,749. Patented sept. 27, 1870.

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4 sheetssheen 3i @.J-[APIPIJJPJTODI` KNIT FABRIC.

No, 107,749.` APE1/sented Sept. 27, 1870.

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KNIT FABRIC.

No. 107,749. Patented Sept. 27, 1870.

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i' `To all lwhom it may' concern.-

. Beit` vknown that I, CHARLES J. APPLE- f `".l0N,`of (lohoes, in the county of Albany and t State of New York, have invented a Mode of Finishing the Ends of Tubular Knit Fabrics; l ,and I do hereby declare that .the following is "a full,"clear, and exact` description thereof, if reference being had to the accompanying drawjin'g, making part of this specification, in Which- Figure l, Plate 1, is a top view ofamachine which is adapted for producing welts on tuof one side of the machine.` Fig-3, Plate 3, is a section taken diametrically through the machine. Fig. 4, Plate 3,. is an end elevation i of the bearing for the tripping devices Yand F the-toothed wheel. Fig. 5, Plate 4, is a top view of the machine, portions of which' are broken away to expose the two` sets of needles' i `and theyarn-guidef, Fig. 6, Plate 4, is aview I of a portion of the fabric as `it would hang 1 from the machine while knittingplain work, Q xlshowing the plain loops'and the rib and ribcops; u f

Similar letters of reference indicate correspending parts-inthe `several figures.

The object of this invention is to produce eamless or tubular knit `fabrics with welts or lfinished ends'. 1"

' The following is a description of one lpractical form of knitting-machineavhich is adapted for producing my improved commodity. A. and Bare two circular plates, having cirt cularpassages a a centrallythrough them, .i .x in which are 4exposed the operating. ends of u the two sets of knittingneedles I) and g, and' f ip also the upper end of a conical cam, F, and its ipllp .EL

The plate 'AV is which motion may be given to it by a handle,

H, rising perpendicularly from it, or by any` other suitable means.

The plate Bis stationary-,aud has secured whichthe machine can be xedto the edgeof a table, 'or -to other established object.

`fBy means of three fingers, n n n, Awhich are 'fastened to the plate B, and constructed with i lips that are received into an annular groove madei-nto the circumference of the 'plate A,

tter plate is confined in place upon the UNITED STATES- oniiiinns J. APPLETON, or coHoEs,

.i EAB-L L. STMSON, -AND S.V EDWARD STMSON, OF SAME PLACE.

`llvuauovEMENr Inruil-l"A FABRICS..

. Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 107,749, dated September 27, 1870.

4neled radially Jco-receive and guide the upper v channels formed into thel inner sideiofgalc bular knit fabrics. Fig. 2, Plate 2, is a view ears p 19, on the exterior of the` said cup.

allowed' Vto rotate freely,

toita clamping device, D2 D, by means of PATENT @Tirion.v

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF,

vThe'upper surface of the plate B is chanset of needles, b, which 'may be of the latch or bearded kind; and the bottom side of theplate i B'has `a groove, c, formed into it, of the shape"A Y .indicated in'dotted 1ines,Fig. 5, fonreceiving i the butts of the needles b, and giving `the equired `movements to these Vneedles towai and from the center of the machin A f The ribbing-needles g, which m p 1 down between ,the needles b, are arr nged i E, which cup is suspended in the center the machine so that its uppercircularied nearly on a ievel with the inner edge Y vplate B, as shown in Fig. 3.

Within'the cup E is an inverted, c

having a cam or oblique groove, g", madel its tapering surface, for receivingthe butt p shan'ks of the needles g, and giving; vertice motion `to the needles.

W is an adjustable section of the, cone ;F, for increasing or diminishing the throw of the needles g; and g1 is agate or plug, for allowing the removal Vof these needles from, or their in- 4 sertion into, their places.

-The needles g are of the bearded kind, and f receive up-anddown motion from the oblique groove g2 by the rotation of the cone F with the plate A.

The cup E, which is applied loosely to the lower end of the shaft T ot' the cone F by means of `a nut and washers and a loose plate, E', is prevented 'from rotating with said cone by means of the downwardlyeonverging arms L L, which are secured to the plate B, and which receive against their lower ends the lugs orl The shaft T rises vertically through a bridge, J, which latter is fixed to the plate A and extended diametrically across the opening t-hrou,g.1;l11the s a'me, and it also rises through a tube, J', which is perpendicular to said bridge.

Above the tube J is a circular plate, I, having` a groove in its bottom sida-which, when t the plate is applied -fast to the shaft T, is eci` centric to the axis thereof, and will therefore operate on the upper end of a lever, I', as a cam, when the shaft T is turned independently of the plate A, as will be hereinafter explained.

The object of the cam-plate I isto move the presser or closer o away from the beards of needles y, when itis desired to ullow loops to remainthereon during the knitting of plain loops b'y the needles b.

The lever I' is pivoted, at j, to ears on one side of the bridge J, and to the lower end of this lever the beard-closer o is adj ustably attached, so as to close the beards of needles g, when the latter co-operate with needles b in producing ribbed work.

Above the cam-plate I, and rigidly secured to the shaft ".l, is an arm, G, which extends outward and downward, so that its outer end will be received by either one'of two catches, h1 h2, and also will be arrested by a dog, f, when the latter is released from its catch e, as willbe hereinafter explained.

The hooked catch h1 is pivoted to an arm, l, which is secured to the handle H, and this catch is held up against a stud, 11,0n said arm by a spring, Sl, in position for receiving and holding the end of arm G, as shown iu Figs.

lland 3.

The hooked catch h2 is constructed with a backward extension, beneath which is a spring,

' S, that presses the hooked nose of the catch down upon a horizontal rest, r, which latter is applied to a post, K, to which the catch h2 is pivoted.

Thetwo catches h1 h2 are arranged at such a distance apart, relatively to the highest part of the oblique groove g2 and to the yarnguide k, (through which the yarn is fed to the needles,) that when the arm G is held by the catch hz, as in Fig. 5, both sets of needles will operate and produce ribbed work, and that when said arm G is held by catch h1 the needles g will be thrown out of operation, and needles b will produce plain hnittin g.

The helical-spring S, which is coiled around the tube J is connected at one end to cam I and at the other end to bridge J, and is intended to move the arm G to catch h', when released from the catch hz, as 'will be hereinafter explained.

The yarn-guide k is arranged over the needles b g, in proper position to distribute yarn to them, and itis secured to the bridge J and receives yarn from the handle H, through which it is passedfrom the cop or spool.

` The nger t, which also depends from the bridge J, is intended to hold the work down as the needles g rise, and prevent dropping of the loops while knitting ribbed work.

A screw-thread,.d, of one or more turns, is formed around the circumference of the plate A, and engages with the teeth of a spurwheel, C.

The wheel C is keyed on a horizontal shaft,-

Cl, which passes through and has its bearings in a standard, Dl, rising from the clamp-jaw D2, as shown in Fig. 3.

Onvthe outer end of shaft C a disk, C2, is keyed, having two tripping-pins, d1 all, fixed to its` inner face at proper distances apart, one ot' which pins, d", is intended to act upon a sliding catch, e', and the other is intended to act upon a similar catch, e, at every revolution of the shaft Cl.

A head, D, extends inward from the upper end of the standard Dl and overhangs the plate A, and receives through it two'sprin gs, ff, arranged one over the other, as shown in fig. 3.

The' dogs are both acted on by springs s s, inclosed within qthe head D, one of which springs will move the dog f inwardly when released from its catch e far enough to operate on the tail of catch h2 and release the arm G therefrom, so as to allow spring S to move this arm to the catch hl. The other spring will operate on the dogf when it is released from its catch e, and throw ont this dog far enough to arrest the arm G and deliver its end to the catch h2 as the plate A is moved around. rlhus it will be seen that the adjustments are automatic.

The 'operation of the machine is as follows: The machine is secured to a bench or table, and the operator sits in frontof it. The movable arm G is held in position by the catch h2, as shown in Fig. 5, and the plate A with its attachments is turned by the handle H. from left to right, as indicated by the arrows in Figs. l and 5, thus knitting one-aud-one ribbed work, as shownat 4 4, Fig. 6, Plate 4. With each revolution of the plate A the worm or thread d moves the spur-wheel C, and when a sufficient number of courses of one-and-one ribbing has been made, (regulated by the number of teeth of wheel 0,) the outer pin, d2, on plate C2 trips the catch e and releases the dog f', which is pushed by-its spring s toward the center of the machine, and byits depressing the tail of catch h2 the arm G is released and is .thrown around by spring S to the catch h. The arm G being attached to the shaft T of the canrcone F, in which the rib-needles g work, the cone itself is carried around sutIi-..,.

ciently to take the needles g out of the way of the yarn as it is fed into the machine, and yet the needles g retain their loops l 1, Fig. 6; for by the action of the eccentric or cam-plate 'I and the lever I', the presser o (which, in making ribbed knitting, presses the beards of the rib-needles) is moved away from the rib-needles, and the loops 1 1 last formed on themV are retained on them. The horizontal needles b continue to work and produce plain knitting 2 2, Fig. 6, for any -desired number ofrevolutions. The tail of the catch h2 returns the dog f to its original position in the same revolution during which this dog was released, and this dog is again held by its catch e. VVheu the given number of plain courses 2 3 has been made the inner pin,.d, ou the plate C?, pushes down the slide-catch e, and the dog f is released'and thrown toward the center of the machine far enough to engage with thc arm G. During the next revolution the dog j' deprcsses the catch h' and arrests the arm G until the catch h2 is moved around and takes this arm,when the beveled'edge of the table r pushes back the dog f to its original position, where it is retained byits spring-catch e. The several parts of the machine are now in .their original positions, and produce the one` and-one ribbed loops 4 4, which 'are at rst thrown over the plain loops 2 2 just made, and `the welt Vis complete..

It will beseen from the above description that the annular welt visfproduced by two changes, to wit: from .ribbing to plain knitting, and back again from plainto rib knitting. i

When a suiiicient length of ribbing is made the needles g are drawn downv from between the'needles bin such manner that, when the i former needlesrise, they will be beyond the jplace where the yarn is fed to the horizontal needles. "Consequently, while these ribbing- 4needles retain the loops last formed on them,

they do not form other loops. After the required number of` courses of plain loops has y `been knit by the horizontal needles, acting i alone, the ribbing-needles 4are again adjusted into operation to produce yribbed work,when Vt'he iirst course knit will receive into it the `binding-loops 1 1 1,which were for a time kept out of the way. The retained loops, overlapping the courses of plain loops,fwill round out theplain work and produce a thickened place or welt. This operation can be continued indefinitely. i y

In orderto separate the cui's or ribbed work and leave each cni `or piece with a welted or finished end, 'the fabric' must be cut across through that course of ribbed loops whichwas;

the last course completed beforethe ribbingneedles were drawn out of the way for the pur pose of knitting plain Work..v Y

The fabric cut in this manner'wil'l not ravel,

-for .the reason that ribbed `work made on two sets of needles will ravel only from' the last loop made toward its predecessors, and will not ravel from a former loop toward the last made.

TheV making of Welts on flat i or 'straight frames has been long practiced, and is ei'ected .by depressing the straight needle-bar `which carries the ribbing-needles; but I believe that entmarked Gase A, and led onthe 13th day.

of May, 1,8170.

Having described my invention, and shown y `one practical form of machiney for carrylnglt into effect, whatI claim as new, and desire to l secure by Lettersl Patent, isf- Welted, seamless,tubular knit fabrics, asa

new article of manufacture.

CHARLES JAM-Es APPLETON; Y

Witnesses:

E. W. FULLER, JAMES GRAMER', 

